Still Creek Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Still Creek Trailhead
- End point: Still Creek Former Campsite
- Hike Type: In and out
- Distance: 3.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 605 feet
- High Point: 2,350 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Description
Still Creek issues from the Palmer Glacier above Timberline Lodge and cuts a deep valley between Tom Dick and Harry Mountain and Hunchback Mountain before joining the Zigzag River in Rhododendron. The Still Creek Trail #780 once ran the length of this valley, but a few decades ago it was replaced by FR 2612 (the Still Creek Road) for much of its length. What remains of the Still Creek Trail, once a way to hike from Government Camp to the villages along the Zigzag River, is now an easy, shady walk through green forest. To make this a more substantial excursion, you can join this hike with the Flag Mountain Loop Hike.
From the parking area in the Camp Creek Campground, cross the footbridge over Camp Creek and bear left. Follow the trail along the south bank of Camp Creek before rising up a mossy slope. Keep right at a junction and pass a spring. Wind up through a sword fern carpet under larger trees and old snags to reach Road 32.
Cross the road and resume the trail, passing a signpost. Rise gradually and detour around a spring on the trail itself. These are moss-carpeted Douglas-fir/hemlock woods with a groundcover of Oregon grape and salal. At a shallow crest, cross an old road bed and gently descend to pass over a series of footbridges in an area of gushing springs. Make a gradually rising traverse in dense secondary forest, and then traverse a slope, actually the western foot of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, under larger trees. Now you will hear, but not see, Still Creek rushing below. The traverse undulates a little and then drops in mossy woods to FR 2612 (Still Creek Road).
Cross the road and pass a berm to drop down a rubbly track to the former campsite at Still Creek: camping is now forbidden here as restoration of the area is underway. Cabled logs line the creek bank to protect the shoreline, and the space is dominated by a towering Douglas-fir guarded by a couple of impressive cedars.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
A $10 day-use fee is required if you leave your vehicle in the Camp Creek day-use area. The Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass are acceptable in lieu of the day-use fee. No fee/pass is required if you park at the south end of Still Creek Trail.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Still Creek Trail #780 (USFS)
- Green Trails Maps: Government Camp, OR #461
- Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Zigzag Ranger District
- Discover Your Northwest: Mt. Hood National Forest North: Trail Map & Hiking Guide
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood Wilderness
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Still Creek Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Still Creek Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Day Hiking Mount Hood: A Year-Round Guide by Eli Boschetto
- Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
- Hikes & Walks on Mt. Hood by Sonia Buist & Emily Keller
More Links
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)